Gaza Fighting Will Resume If Hostages Not Released: Israel

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday threatened to resume fighting in the Gaza Strip unless its hostages in Gaza are released.

- Agencies

JERUSALEM/GAZA CITY: The ceasefire has been called into question as Hamas claims Israel violated key provisions, prompting it to call off the release of three more hostages on Saturday.

US President Donald Trump has emboldened Israel to call for the release of remaining hostages, rather than the three scheduled to be freed in the next exchange. An Israeli official said Netanyahu has ordered the army to beef up troops in and around the Gaza Strip after Hamas threatened to call off a scheduled hostage release on Saturday.

The preparation plans come after Netanyahu met with his Security Cabinet for four hours on Tuesday to discuss Hamas' threat, which has put the fragile ceasefire agreement in danger.

Under the ceasefire, Hamas has released 21 hostages in a series of exchanges for Palestinian prisoners. But it said on Monday it was delaying the next release of three more hostages after accusing Israel of failing to allow enough aid into Gaza under the deal.

The US president has said Israel should cancel the entire ceasefire if all of the roughly 70 hostages held by Hamas aren't freed by Saturday.